We had a day out in the relatively small town of Leek. Although the town is in Staffordshire it is very close to the Peak District, literally only a few miles from Derbyshire and the Peaks. With the town being so close to Derbyshire I thought it would have that same feel as a Derbyshire town such as Wirksworth, Buxton or Melbourne. But it fitted in better with it’s actual county of Staffordshire, reminding me more of Stafford.
There was a bit of a middle class vibe, especially when it came to finding lunch. We ended up eating at a Subway because the cafe’s lunch prices were a bit steep. £5.95 and upwards is too dear for a panini, wherever you are.
There was a market taking place, which was next to the Buttermarket. The latter was indoor, which we appreciated more as it meant we could escape the cold November wind. We were taken aback by the huge amount of British flags in the Buttermarket, counteracted by the classic tune of Bohemian Rhapsody being played out on a hidden radio somewhere amongst the shops.
The other parts of the town that stood out to us were the Parish Church of Saint Edward, the grand war memorial which stands in the centre of the town and the scariest mannequin we have ever seen! It was unclothed and sat on a chair on the street curled up into some sort of demonic fetal position. It was quite weird!
Leek isn’t short of car parks. We came across more than a few as we searched for a space. It seems like the town have used every unused space as a car park.
We had tea and cake at Waitrose, as that appeared the better priced option than the cafes in the centre of the town. We would have preferred to have gone to a local cafe, so we could have have connected more with Leek and soak up the local ambiance and culture, but sadly chains do make it easier and cheaper sometimes and that makes it hard to resist.
Where The Wildings Are 